Richard Pryor

I was watching an episode of Saturday Night Live from the 70's last night which was hosted by Richard Pryor. He did this performance where he played an old man who was a drinker and a young man who is a junky living in the ghetto. This is his genius; making you laugh at an alcoholic and a junky struggling with poverty, yet at the same time conveying them as human allowing for empathy. The change from character to character is flawless and complete so much so that at moments you feel as if there were two of him on the stage. He ends the skit by having the old man state "You know what your problem is? You don't know how to deal with the white man! You got a white man complex. I know how to deal with him. That's why I'm in the position I'm in today." [drinks from the bottle, makes a face, screws the top back on, and pockets it] Thank you. [Much applause.] " This is the beauty of Pryor's comedy. That his plaintive messages are concealed just well enough to keep his audience engaged and highly entertained. There are and have been a great deal of talented comics through the years, but few of the level of genius of Richard Pryor.